Firearms

The role of firearms in domestic violence and stalking cases is enormous and beyond controversy. Firearms are frequently used in the intimate partner setting to threaten and control women and children, and are strongly associated with lethality in the domestic violence context.

Research demonstrates that firearms are used to commit the vast majority of homicides against women, and that the majority of these homicides are
committed by an intimate partner (Violence Policy Center, 2012). In fact, a gun in a violent home increases the likelihood that a domestic
violence-related incident will result in death (The John Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, 2009). Because the presence of firearms is the
most significant homicide risk factor for these cases, disarming offenders, or preventing unlawful access to guns, is a major step toward homicide
prevention.